Astrophysics Collection

Pale Blue Dot, Voyager 1
This unique narrow-angle color image is of the Earth, dubbed Pale Blue Dot, is a part of the first ever portrait of the solar system taken by Voyager 1

Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2012. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) infrared image of distant galaxies in a region of the sky in the constellation of Fornax

MAP microwave background
Cosmic microwave background. Whole sky image of the cosmic microwave background made by the MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe) spacecraft

1919 solar eclipse. Image 2 of 3. This set of images, taken by the British astronomer Arthur Eddington (1882-1944), confirmed Einsteins theory of general relativity

Hubble Ultra Deep Field galaxies
Ultra Deep Field galaxies. Hubble Space Telescope Ultra Deep Field, the deepest view ever taken of the universe in 2004. Each dot of light is a separate galaxy

Orion nebula. Coloured composite infrared and visible light image of the Orion nebula M42. This emission nebula, a cloud of gas and dust in which starbirth takes place

Nebula Sh 2-106, HST image
Nebula Sh 2-106, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. Combined optical and infrared image of the compact star-forming region and emission nebula Sharpless 2-106 (Sh 2-106)

Orions belt. Optical image of the line of three bright stars making up the belt in the constellation of Orion. The stars are, from lower left to upper right: Alnitak (Zeta Orionis)

Gas pillars in the Eagle Nebula. Hubble Space Telescope image showing dark pillars of dense molecular hydrogen and dust in the Eagle Nebula (M16)

Pillars of Creation, combined Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope image. These towering columns are formed of interstellar hydrogen gas and dust

1919 solar eclipse
^B1919 solar eclipse. Image 1 of 3.^b This set of images, taken by the British astronomer Arthur Eddington (1882-1944), confirmed Einsteins theory of general relativity

Cosmic microwave background. Spherical projection of the cosmic microwave background, using all-sky data from the WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe)

Sombrero galaxy (M104), HST image
Sombrero galaxy (M104, NGC 4594), Hubble Space Telescope image. This spiral galaxy is seen almost edge-on to Earth. Its disc is seen as a dark band of dust crossing the brighter central bulge

Orion nebula (M42), optical image. This is a huge starbirth region, where gas is coalescing to form new stars. Radiation from the hot young stars ionises the gases in the nebula

Solar System, artwork
Solar System. Artwork of Earths solar system, showing the planets and other objects that orbit the Sun (upper right). The separations of the orbits are not shown to scale

Moon rising over Earths horizon, composite image. The blue haze of Earths atmosphere can be seen above the horizon. Earth is thought to be the only planet in the solar system that can support life

Milky Way, optical image. The Milky Way is our own galaxy. Because Earth lies in one of its spiral arms, we look into the central mass of stars and see the galaxy as a band of light crossing the sky

A galactic light show in spiral galaxy NGC 4258, also known as M106, about 23 million light years away. This galaxy is famous, however

Antennae colliding galaxies, Hubble image
Antennae colliding galaxies, Hubble Space Telescope image. The Antennae (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039) are formed of two galaxies colliding due to mutual gravitational attraction

Crab nebula (M1), Hubble Space Telescope image. This is a supernova remnant, the remains of a star that ended its life in a massine supernova explosion

Solar system. Composite computer artwork of the nine planets of the solar system that orbit the Sun (far right). In order of their distance from the Sun and anticlockwise from top right they are

Crab nebula, composite image
Crab nebula. Composite x-ray, infrared and optical image of the Crab nebula (M1), a remnant of a supernova that exploded in AD 1054

Eagle Nebula. Optical image of the Eagle Nebula (M16, NGC 6611). This is an emission nebula, a cloud of gas that glows as the hydrogen gas it contains is ionised by radiation from the hot young stars

Spiral galaxy M81, composite image in visible (yellow), infrared (red), and ultraviolet (blue) light. The yellow centre indicates older stars, the blue areas in the spiral arms are hot, young stars

Diagram showing the spectral class and luminosity of stars. The diagram was named The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, or the H-R diagram for short

1919 solar eclipse
^B1919 solar eclipse. Image 3 of 3.^b This set of images, taken by the British astronomer Arthur Eddington (1882-1944), confirmed Einsteins theory of general relativity

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orions Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, visible to the naked eye in the night sky

Horsehead Nebula. Optical image of Barnard 33 (the Horsehead Nebula), 1600 light years away in the constellation of Orion. North is at left

Supernova in galaxy
Supernova SN1994D. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of supernova SN1994D (lower left) in the galaxy NGC 4526. A supernova is the explosive death of a star

Supernova explosion, artwork
Supernova explosion, computer artwork. Supernovas are the explosive deaths of massive stars

Hale-Bopp comet
Hale-Bopp. Artwork of the comet Hale-Bopp above an ocean shore. Hale-Bopp was one of the brightest comets of the 20th century, and was seen for much of early 1997. A comet is a lump of ice and rock

Aurora over Antarctica, satellite image
Aurora over Antarctica, ultraviolet satellite image. Australia is at upper left. This is the aurora australis (green ring), the southern lights display

Kitt Peak Observatory and Milky Way
Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona, USA, and the Milky Way. With 23 telescopes, this is the largest collection of astronomical instruments in the world

Spiral galaxy NGC 2841, HST image
Spiral galaxy NGC 2841, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. This galaxy lies around 46 million light years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major

Underside of Arecibo radio telescope
Arecibo radio observatory. View of the underside of the dish antenna of the Arecibo radio telescope, the worlds largest. Built into a volcanic crater in Puerto Rico, Arecibos dish is made of 38

Light echoes from exploding star
Light echoes from an exploding star. Hubble Space Telescope image of an illuminated dust shell around the star v838 Monocerotis

Planetary nebula NGC 6751. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the planetary nebula NGC 6751. A planetary nebula is formed when a Sun-like star ejects its outer layers at the end of its life

Saturn, Cassini image
Saturn. Cassini spacecraft image of Saturn, its rings, and two of its moons Titan (upper right) and Tethys (bottom left). The rings, which consist of particles of nearly pure water ice

Universe timeline, artwork
Big Bang and Evolution of Galaxies - The observable Universe is about 84 billion light years across. According to the standard view of cosmolog

Interacting galaxies Arp 147, HST image
Interacting galaxies Arp 147. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of a pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp 147. The galaxy at left is relatively undisturbed apart from a smooth ring of

Io and Jupiter, Cassini image. Io, the round object at left, is one of the largest of the moons of Jupiter. Clouds in Jupiters atmosphere form the backdrop to this image

Observing the Universe, conceptual image
Observing the Universe, conceptual computer illustration

Ring Nebula M57, Hubble image C017 / 3725
Ring Nebula (M22, NGC 6720). Combined images from the Subaru Telescope and Hubble Space telescope of the Ring Nebula M57. The Ring nebula is a planetary nebula lying around 2300 light years

Edwin Hubble, US astronomer C008 / 8831
Edwin Hubble. Caricature of the US astronomer, cosmologist, athlete and boxer Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953) smoking a pipe

Red dwarf star. Artwork representing the intense activity of a red dwarf star. These are among the least massive stars in the universe ranging from 0.1 to 0.7 solar masses

Interacting galaxies. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the interacting spiral galaxies NGC 2207 (left) and IC 2163 (right)

Interacting galaxies NGC 5257 and 5258
Interacting galaxies NGC 5257 and NGC 5258. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of two interacting spiral galaxies, collectively known as Arp 240

Cigar galaxy (M82), composite image
Cigar galaxy (M82). Combined optical, infrared and X-ray image of the Cigar galaxy (M82). This image was obtained by combining data from three of NASAs Great Observatories, found in Earth orbit

Milky Way. Mosaic of photographs of the Milky Way, the spiral galaxy in which our solar system lies. Our Sun is believed to be around two-thirds of the way out from the centre in a small spiral arm

Dark matter distribution. Image 3 of 4. Supercomputer simulation, known as the Millennium Run, showing the distribution of dark matter in the local universe

Helix nebula, infrared Spitzer image
Helix nebula (NGC 7293), infrared Spitzer Space Telescope image. This is a planetary nebula, a series of shells of gas cast off by a dying star

Mars, composite satellite images
Mars. Composite satellite images of the surface of Mars from multiple aspects. North is at top. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and is a rocky desert world

James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), Scottish physicist. Maxwells works cover a wide area of science, and he is regarded as one of the finest minds of the 19th century

Orion nebula (M42 and M43)
Orion nebula. Hubble Space Telescope mosaic of the Orion nebula (M42; NGC 1976), which is 1500 light years away in the constellation Orion

Milky way galaxy, artwork
Milky Way galaxy. Computer artwork of the Milky Way galaxy, which contains our solar system. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. It has a nucleus (yellow) of old stars at its centre

Aurora borealis and Moon over mountains and trees by a river. This coloured light display (the northern lights) is visible in the night sky at high latitudes

Spiral galaxy M81, composite image. M81 is around 12 million light years from Earth, in the constellation of Ursa Major. It has a supermassive black hole at its centre

Time warp, conceptual image. Composite artwork of a clock being sucked into a wormhole

Universe timeline, artwork
Big Bang and Evolution of Galaxies - The observable Universe is about 84 billion light years across. According to the standard view of cosmolog

Albert Einstein, artwork
Albert Einstein. Cartoon of the Swiss-German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955). Einstein is best known for his paper on the special theory of relativity

Kepler Mission space telescope, artwork. The NASA Kepler Mission is designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars

Mauna Kea telescopes and Milky Way. Silhouetted against a sunset glow are the Subaru Telescope (far left), the Keck I and II telescopes (centre left and centre)

Orbit of Sputnik 1, Soviet 1957 diagram
Orbit of Sputnik 1. Diagram showing the Earth orbits possible for different spacecrafts. Sputnik 1, the first spacecraft ever to reach Earth orbit, was launched on 4 October 1957 by the Soviet Union

Solar prominence, ultraviolet SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) satellite image. The prominence (top right), is a dense cloud of plasma, or ionised gas

Helix nebula, planetary nebula
Helix nebula (NGC 7293), optical image. This is a planetary nebula, a series of shells of gas cast off from a Sun-like star towards the end of its life

Halleys Comet, 1910
Halleys Comet. Halleys Comet orbits the Sun every 76 years. This periodicity was discovered by Edmund Halley (1654-1742), after whom the comet is named

Solar prominence. SOHO image of a huge prominence in the corona of the Sun. The prominence is a massive cloud of plasma confined by powerful magnetic fields

Helix nebula, HST image
Helix Nebula. Hubble Space Telescope image of the Helix planetary nebula (NGC 7293). This comprises shells of gas cast off a Sun-like star near the end of its life

Transit of Venus, 8th June 2004
Transit of Venus. Composite image of Venus (black transiting the Sun on 8th June 2004. The images were taken from Waldenburg, Germany)

Alexander Friedman, Soviet cosmologist
Alexander Alexandrovich Friedman (1888-1925), Russian and Soviet cosmologist and mathematician. Friedman, who lived and worked in Leningrad, is considered the founder of modern cosmology

Milky Way over Scottish loch
Milky Way, over Clatteringshaws Loch, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The Milky Way, our galaxy seen from the inside, is the band of stars, nebulae and dust lanes running vertically across the sky

Dark matter distribution. Supercomputer simulation of the distribution of dark matter in the local universe. Dark matter is a form of matter that cannot be detected by telescopes as it emits no

Kepler-10b exoplanet, artwork
January 10, 2011 WASHINGTON -- NASAs Kepler mission confirmed the discovery of its first rocky planet, named Kepler-10b. Measuring 1.4 times the size of Earth

Open star cluster NGC 3603, HST image. The stars seen here are young stars, heating the gas and dust of the nebulae around them

Lovell radio telescope. This large radio telescope dish is located at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, UK. It has a diameter of 76 metres

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51, NGC 5194), visible light image. The Whirlpool galaxy is locked in a gravitational interaction with the smaller irregular galaxy NGC 5195 (left of M51)

Large Magellanic cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), infrared image. The LMC is a dwarf galaxy, and a satellite of our own Milky Way galaxy. It contains regions of emission nebula (green, yellow and red)

Arecibo message and decoded key C016 / 6817
Arecibo message and decoded key. Diagram showing the binary transmission (left) known as the Arecibo message, with the message decoded and labelled at centre and right

Albert Einstein, caricature
Albert Einstein. Caricature of the Swiss-German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955). Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for work on the photoelectric effect

Einstein and Eddington, 1930
Einstein and Eddington. German-born physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), at left, was famous for his theories of relativity

Artists concept illustrating the two Saturn-sized planets discovered by the Kepler
This artistas concept illustrates the two Saturn-sized planets discovered by the Kepler mission. The star system is oriented edge-on, as seen by Kepler, such that both planets cross in front

Voyager probe trajectory, artwork C018 / 0285
Voyager probe trajectory, artwork. Artwork of the trajectory of one of the Voyager probes as it travels out of the solar system

Milky Way-Andromeda galactic collision C014 / 4726
Milky Way-Andromeda galactic collision. Artwork showing the future collision between the Milky Way Galaxy (disrupted) and the Andromeda Galaxy (spiral, lower left)

Alpha Centauri binary stars and planets. Artwork from above the surface of one of the moons of one of the planets in the Alpha Centauri binary star system

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Astrophysics, the captivating realm where science and wonder intertwine, unveils the secrets of our vast universe. From the iconic "Pale Blue Dot" image captured by Voyager 1 to the mesmerizing Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2012 photograph, astrophysics continues to expand our cosmic understanding. In 1919, during a solar eclipse, Sir Arthur Eddington's groundbreaking experiment confirmed Einstein's theory of general relativity. This pivotal moment paved the way for further astronomical breakthroughs. Gazing at Orion's Belt in awe, we are reminded of its celestial beauty and significance within our night sky. The Hubble Ultra Deep Field galaxies capture our imagination as they reveal countless distant galaxies scattered across space-time. The MAP microwave background survey provided us with an unprecedented glimpse into the early universe, uncovering ancient patterns imprinted on cosmic radiation. Meanwhile, the ethereal glow of the Orion Nebula showcases stellar birth in all its splendor. Amongst these wonders lies one of nature's most breathtaking creations: The Pillars of Creation. These colossal gas and dust structures within M16 remind us that even amidst chaos, beauty emerges. Delving deeper into nebulae like Sh 2-106 through stunning images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope leaves us awestruck by their intricate formations and vibrant colors. Witnessing gas pillars in the Eagle Nebula evokes a sense of both fragility and resilience found throughout space. Revisiting history once more brings us back to that transformative moment during a solar eclipse in 1919 when scientific theories were validated against nature itself. It was then that humanity took another step towards unraveling universal mysteries. Lastly, we encounter the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), an echo from nearly fourteen billion years ago when light first permeated our expanding cosmos after the Big Bang. This faint radiation holds vital clues about our origins and paints a vivid picture of how everything began.